Wrath
by IridescentMonochrome
Summary: When an unexpected murder happens in the Pink Palace Apartments, the Jones gets sent to a small town in Massachusetts to search for the Prenderghast family. Coraline Jones, a fifteen-year-old survivor of a tragic incident, may be facing a whole new level of challenges and truths when she befriends a boy who is the last ever of his family with the special power, Norman Babcock.
1. Prologue

Prologue

Thunder crashed that night and it was the night April Spink was alone. A week ago, she and Miriam Forcible had bumped in with their old manager. The man was staying in Ashland, Oregon for a few days since he was visiting his grandsons and daughters for Christmas. The old man then asked the two if they would like to have a little dinner reunion, he told them that they could bring more guest if they pleased. Since it was the holidays, they invited everyone in the Pink Palace; the Jones family, Mr. Bobinsky and even Mrs. Lovat her grandson, Wybie.

But sadly, April Spink was not feeling well the very night of the dinner and was decided to stay home. She wasn't completely alone, though. She had Angus. But what could a sickly dog do in times of danger?

The rain poured harder. It would already be a normal thing if someone had been living there for a long time like April herself but yet, something felt wrong. The apartment feel colder, scarier. Maybe it was just the absence of everybody. Of course, everyone gets freaked out a little bit when they're all alone somewhere. But still, it was her home for many years. Why would she feel this way?

Maybe it was just her playing blind. She knew this would happen. She knew being left alone was a bad idea. But she insisted. She knew it was her responsibility. She needed to do it. Or else. She had been hiding for too long, pretending. She now felt like a coward only thinking about herself. The girl almost died because of her, the sweet innocent poor girl whom she didn't help when she got a chance.

She'll make it up to her. She promised.

_Because' she said, 'when you're scared and still do it anyway, that's brave.'*****_

She'll be brave. She'll do this for her.

She just hoped everything would go as planned.

She sat on the couch, trying to get Angus's attention but the sickly dog just ignored her and continued sleeping on his place. She tried killing time by knitting or reading the paper but time seemed to go by slowly. Half an hour later, the woman had dozed off.

Silence.

There was all there is in the Pink Palace tonight.

The other might already be enjoying a wonderful and juicy steak, or a mango smoothie inside a beautiful restaurant with classical music and people dressed up fancy. Coraline may be already getting used to the dress her mother had forced her into, they might probably already be having the best night of their lives. While she's back here, waiting for something that she desperately hope wouldn't come.

But then there was it: the familiar metallic clicking noise.

She had come.

Angus had perched up and started growling a low growl. April didn't wait any longer. She did her best to stand up and pick up Angus then she walked into her room. She locked the door.

She knew that thing can open any locked door in an instant but she just need a few minutes, a few seconds even.

She bent down and took pulled out a chest. She started rummaging to it, muttering under her breathe as if making sure everything was inside. Then she took out a piece of paper and started scribbling.

_Tick Tick._

She was near.

She started to write faster.

Angus started howling like crazy.

"Shh dear, shh. It'll all be over soon." She reassured him, her hear pounding on her chest. This was it.

_Click._

The sound of unlocking.

"I hope.. this would make up. For everything. I am sorry." She closed her eyes.

The door creaked as it opened.

And then that was it, the feeling of sharp metal stabbed into your back repeatedly. Blood spluttered all over the floor. Angus whimpered sadly hiding under the bed.

She fell to the floor. Dead.

The Beldam couldn't do much now. She has little time. Only if she had her other hand. _That cursed girl_, she hissed, _I will get her. I will._

Then she retreated back into the darkness, into her other world where only the _special_ can be lured into. It was also the time a car arrived and parked outside the palace.

April Spink is dead. And the last thing she ever did was write a name on the piece of paper:

_'Coraline Jones.'_

* * *

***(c) Neil Gaiman. **

**[Author's Note:]**_ This is the beginning of a new story I'll be doing. Normaline, yes, I ship it. I've got the first chapter finished already but I still need to proofread it again. I'm still missing my copy of the Coraline book so I'll be basing the facts on the movie for now __:(__(I got the quote from googling Coraline book quotes. heh heh.) But, guess who finally bought the ParaNorman book? YEAH, ME. At first, my sister didn't want me to buy it. 'Why buy the book when you already watched the movie?' was her reason (and plus, it was kinda expensive). She knows about the 'The books is always better' saying but she said that the ParaNorman book was based of the movie, NOT the movie was based on the book. But still, I bought it because it wasn't like I was using her savings or something :P (yeah, and actually, I was just really supposed to buy a new copy of Coraline but then the lady said they sold out so I went looking for another cool book to buy then I saw the name 'ParaNorman' then I made a dying whale sound out of happiness.)_

_PLUS! I had trouble trying to fit a plot for these two without making the story completely AU and boy, the book sure did help me. I quickly scratched the old plot I had in mind and I based this plot on the report that Salma made on the last pages of the book and I also added a few headcanons, I really really** really** hope you guys don't mind._

_Okay, so, reviews are very much appreciated, CC is strongly encouraged and pointless flames would be used to fry chicken :3 _

**_-IriMono_**


	2. Chapter 1: A Simple Talk

Chapter 1: A Simple Talk

* * *

The fifteen-year-old girl woke up to the sound of her her phone ringing . She shot up directly and reached to her side where she found it. "Darn this thing," she cursed under her breathe as she had trouble unlocking her phone. She was the never the one who was involved in modern gadgets, the only reason why she always kept it with her was because her parents gave it to her as a gift (and plus, they would kill her if she wouldn't answer or reply). The phone blared a deafening tone and on the blinking screen there was a _"Incoming Call: Mom" _sign.

She sighed in relief as she finally unlocked the phone and hit the _'answer'_ button.

"Mom, I'm up," She said at once, "Yeah.. I'll be there in a moment. What? What for?... the police still there? no? Okay, I'll come as quickly as possible just give me some time to change up.. _Yes_ mom, I won't forget to thank Mrs. Lovat and Wybie for making me stay for the night... Okay bye.. yeah yeah.. okay_ fine_."

She hung up then threw herself out of bed. She walked towards the window where there was a view of the Pink Palace. It was an unusual sight as she was used to early morning drizzles. The sun was already up and as if there was no sign of a storm last night.

_This is wrong._

Last night's events came back to her; how they just came back from the dinner stuffed and exhausted, she was already looking forward in removing that itchy dress her mother made her wear when all of the sudden they heard an earsplitting scream from below. They ran to the sound immediately and was met by a very gruesome scene.

Her parents ushered her back into her room. But of course, being Coraline, she couldn't just keep her nose out of this. She crouched low on the top of the stairs where she is hidden at their sight but where she can see and hear them correctly.

Her father was already on the phone. She heard a loud gasp from her mother followed by her panicking. Soon, Mr. Bobinsky had joined in. Silent cries echoed. Then sooner, she heard sirens wailing close.

That's when she realized it was a better option to stay in her room. She quickly got up and ran. She also haven't realized that she have been crying. She felt confused but scared.

The house was cold. She hid under her blankets. She blocked out the noise of crying mixed with the sound of rain pouring heavily and occasional thunder.

_ten.. twenty..thirty.._ minutes passed. She started to feel uneasy. The calamity downstairs had died down a bit but the rain kept pouring. Then suddenly, the thoughts came swirling into her mind; Who did this? What happened? What is happening?

She didn't even_ think_ about how that person did it..

..or was it even a person?

She bolt straight up at the thought. She started to pant heavily, she wanted out. She doesn't want to be alone. Then she heard something, a familiar sound. A sound of something scuttling. She covered her ears. _No, no no._

Then the door to her room opened.

She almost screamed but was relieved at the appearance of her mother and father. _Real_ mother and father. No buttons. Just eyes.

"Mom!" she gasped. Mel responded with a hug, Charlie sat down on the bed, stroking his daughter's hair. They both explained, as calm as possible. How Ms. Spink is dead and _yes_- she was clearly murdered (Coraline shuddered at the thought). Angus, the dog, also died but he seemed to die in his sickness. Not an idea who or what did this.

After the little talk, they made her stay at the Lovat's for the night.

After dressing up, she went down to find Wybie and Mrs. Lovat sitting down at the table eating breakfast. She greeted them warmly, "Good morning."

"Breakfast, Coraline?" Mrs. Lovat asked.

"No thank you, Mrs. Lovat. I need to get back to our flat." Coraline responded.

"You sure,_ Jonesy_?" Wybie asked.

"Now, Wyborne. It's not nice to make fun of other people's surnames." Mrs. Lovat scolded her grandson.

"Yes, _Wyborne_. It's not really nice," Coraline chuckled as she saw Wybie grimaced , "Thank you again for making me stay for the night, Mrs. Lovat."

"Anytime, dear. You're always welcome." and with that, Coraline sprinted outside.

* * *

Mel Jones glanced at the digital clock beside her bed, 6:50, it read.

She sat up groggily. Charlie was still fast asleep. Now, Mel was never the one to procrastinate. _When you could do it now, why do it later?_ was her personal quote. That is why when she got up earlier than expected, she didn't think twice about standing up and making herself a cup of coffee so she could have a head start with a new project for the gardening catalog she and Charlie had been working on for four years.

She tried to keep last night's memories away. She already consumed too much time. The dinner last night made her fall back on her work schedule. The only reason she agreed is because she just couldn't say no to Miss Spink and Forcible. They had helped her _a lot _with her daughter.

She took the steaming cup and sat down on the kitchen table but before she could even turn on her laptop, someone knocked on the door.

Annoyed, Mel got up and walked towards the door. She was shocked to see Miss Forcible standing at her doorway, "Mel, we need to talk."

Miss Spink and Miss Forcible were always polite with others but when some things like this happens, it's no joke. Something serious is going on. She allowed Miss Forcible entry in her home and made her wait in the living room, "Would you like coffee, Miss Forcible?"

"No, no," Miss Forcible replies rather quickly, "Coffee is too strong. Tea would be fine."

Mel disappeared into the kitchen to prepare the guest's request. Minutes later, she returned and offered the tea. Miss Forcible didn't even mutter a simple 'thank you'. She took a small sip before she started speaking, "Not much time. We need to leave."

Mel was taken aback by the sudden statement, "E-Excuse me..?"

"I believe you have been suspecting something from last night's tragic event?"

"I-I don't understand.."

"Mel," Miss Forcible's face full of concern and apprehension, "I perfectly know that _you_ know. We can't run from our past. I know you're trying to forget about your past. Me and April also tried. But right now, our lives are in grave danger. The worst thing we feared would come.. had came."

"No, this can't be," she whispered, silently wishing that Charlie doesn't get up until an hour later. She doesn't want him to hear anything on this, "Y-you're lying."

"Don't be childish!," Miss Forcible whispered back harshly, "You have all the proof, Mel. That incident with your daughter.. the way she explained what happened with her doctor. It sounds all too familiar! Your daughter was almost another victim! We need you to leave. She's coming back," she quickly pulls out a key from her pocket and thrusts it to Mel, "I saw this. This was supposed to be gone. If it's back, that means _she's_ back."

She was frozen in fear, then slowly, she opened her mouth to speak, ".. If we'll leave right this instant then we'll never hear from you or anyone else in this... this-" her voice shaked. She didn't know what word to use, "..thing?"

Miss Forcible pursed her lips. Mel had a bad feeling about this.

"No," She replied, "I believe your daughter had done great damage to her. She will never forget Coraline. She'll be out for vengeance. Just like what she did to April, " at this point her eyes starts to get moist, "Remember, she's not trapped in her world anymore. She's out here, hiding. By just leaving, she'll still find you. We need to defeat her.. we cannot hold her back into her realm anymore."

"I'm not going to be a part of this ," she stated angrily but there was a slight sound of fear in her voice, "I will not put my daughter and my family in danger."

"You can't just run away!"

"I've been running from my past for years. I'm not going to get sucked in it again."

"You don't understand! We're all going to die! _We cannot escape the wrath of the Beldam!_"

The room turned silent.

"Wh-Why? I thought it was all over. Is this because of what I have done all those years ago? I tried fixing it, didn't I?"

"Fate," Miss Forcible said calmly, placing a hand on her shoulder, "has an awful way of bringing back dark pasts to us. Coraline is a brave girl. She had faced the wicked. Coraline is special, just like you and me. That is the witch wanted her in the first place. But this.. we need to work together. We need to defeat her. She is no longer imprisoned in her own world. She'll be out for everyone and I meant everyone, who's helped in imprisoning her in that world.

Before April died.. she left us somethings to do. One was, find her family," Miss Forcible told her, "Her parents are long dead and her siblings are scattered in places in Europe, that's where I'll be looking. Though, she has some distant relatives here. I came to you because I _know_ that _you_ know who exactly they are."

"Don't be silly, I have no idea." Mel whispered.

"April's real name was Agatha April Prenderghast," Miss Forcible said, "Named after a great-great-great aunt who was hung to death. She used a stage name because.. let's say she wasn't quite proud of what her family was known for."

Her eyes widened in shock.

"Can I entrust you with the mission to find them? I've been in touch with one before.. but he passed away four years ago. He was a great help, he had the special talent that the Beldam was always looking for. He had told me that the last one who inherited the talent was his nephew. I've seen the boy once.. it was years ago. Right now, he's probably as old as your daughter." Miss Forcible said.

Mel felt like as if she had been crushed by a boulder. She didn't look up but she gave a small nod, "But, there is one thing I wanted to ask. Was the death of April Spink really an accident?"

"No," Miss Forcible replied, "She wanted to buy us time. The Beldam isn't at her full power and by murdering someone as powerful as April, it will weaken her. For now, she doesn't have the power to attack any of us at the moment but _she will be back_. And also, by moving, we might also extend that time. We could still plan. But mark my words, we cannot run away this time. She will find us and destroy every single one of us."

"I-I understand."

Then she hastily stood up and went upstairs. Charlie was still fast asleep. She pulled out an old box from under her bed and started rummaging through it then she finally pulled out a black-and-white high school year book.

She flipped rapidly through the pages until she saw exactly what she went looking for.

_Sandra Prenderghast_, On the picture above was a thin girl and Mel remembered that she had long blond hair. They were both bestfriends. Until Mel left for college and never returned. She always knew Sandra as the 'homey' type. She loved baking, cooking and all those other 'motherly' material Mel never had. She knew that her friend finished her college in that very town and got married and probably had kids. She figured that Sandra wasn't really the one to move to another place for she always found their town as her home.

That was it.

She was going back to Blithe Hollow.

She took out her phone and quickly dialed Coraline's number. She tapped her fingers impatiently as she waited for her to pick up. After three rings, she finally did, _"Mom, I'm up_," the girl said at once.

"Good, now get back here. I need you to pack your bags... just because, Coraline... No, the police are gone. Okay. And don't forget to thank Mrs. Lovat for making you stay. Okay, bye. Wait- please hurry," and then with a click, Mel exhaled deeply.

She went back downstairs then she saw Miss Forcible still in the living room, "Before I go, I need to give this to you."

It was a small chest. Mel stared at it, confused.

"It's for Coraline."

"What would Coraline want with this?" she asked.

"I have no idea," Miss Forcible replied, "But if she left it for her, then it's best if you gave it to her."

She took her coat and opened the door but before she left, she turned back around and pulled another key out of her coat pocket and a card, "I almost forgot. Again, you should have this. I believe you already know where you're going to search for them? So, I thought that you might want some place to stay rather than their shabby little inn's. Don't worry, the house had been well kept throughout these years."

Mel took the key, "Thank you."

"No, thank _you." _Miss Forcible replied as she left. The same time as she went out of the doorway,the blue-haired fifteen year old came.

"Mom I'm- _Miss Forcible?_ What are you doing here?" Coraline asked, puzzled.

"Just discussing matters, Coraline," Miss Forcible replied as she smiled at her, "Have great day ahead."

As Miss Forcible went out of ear-shot, Coraline turned to her mother, "What was that ab-"

"No more questions, pack your bags."

"What _for_?"

"We're going on a.. trip." Mel said, using her words carefully.

"When?"

"Later."

"_What!?_"

Mel put her hands on her hips, _"No more questions,_ just hurry up and pack your bags _now_."

Coraline grew a suspicion. She sighed silently and trudged upstairs, "Does dad know about this?"

"..It's supposed to be a surprise." Mel lied.

"Okay." Coraline replied, rolling her eyes when she was out of her mother's eyesight.

As soon as Mel heard Coraline shutting the door to her room, she immediately turned her computer to find tickets that could take them to Blithe Hollow as soon as possible.

* * *

"Isn't this great, Coraline?" Charlie Jones smiled, "We're finally going on a family vacation.. at your mother's hometown!"

Her father seemed to be all good about it. Which was bad because Coraline expected him to oppose the idea. They've had family vacations before.. but it was always to Michigan where her father and the rest of his relatives are. She was actually shocked to hear that they'll be going back to her mother's hometown which was _Blithe Hollow. _She then realized that this was the first time her mother every brought up her home town. Coraline always thought she grew up in Michigan, like her father. It didn't seem all that bad at first but as she researched more on the town, she found out that the town's center of attraction was a _witch hanging_ in the 1712's which made her less excited about going and more on frightened.

"Coraline, is there something wrong?" asked her father.

"No, nothing," Coraline replied, snapping out of her trance, "Just.. tired. A bit."

Charlie understood what Coraline meant and decided to let her be and then he proceeds to talk to Mel, whom Coraline haven't spoken too since this morning.

She looked out the window and soon, she fell asleep.

* * *

She was back to the place where she remembered they said their last goodbyes.

In a meadow, under an old oak tree, a thin white blanket was spread out and on it were the delicious food she remembered all too well; salads, sandwiches, nuts and fruit, jugs of lemonade, water and thick milk chocolate. The breeze was mellow. It was a perfect day for a picnic. She slowly reached for a sandwich as if it was going to bite her then suddenly a voice made her jerk her arm away.

"We were wrong, miss," it was the ghost boy with red velvet knee britches and a frilly white shirt, "She's coming back."

She turned around and the three of them were standing there. They still looked the same; young and fresh but their faces were filled with fear, "Who?"

"She!" cried the winged girl, "The one who captured us!"

Coraline refused to believe, "What?"

"Have you gone deaf, girl?" replied Mrs. Lovat's twin sister, the sweet ghost girl, "The Beldam is coming back!"

"And you, miss, are in grave danger!" the boy grabbed her by the arms and shook her furiously, "She loathes you, Coraline Jones! You are number one on her list! She will come after you! She has already murdered one!"

Coraline pushed away the boy, terrified, "I w-won't believe you! Y-you're all nothing but a .. dream! _Get away!_"

The three gasped, "What has happened, miss?" the winged girl asked, "You..you had a brave heart! You freed us all! You can't be afraid now!"

"Aye," agreed the boy, "You are our savior."

"Miss Jones, you have grew. You are no longer mere a mere child like us but that doesn't mean you could forget what has happened." said the sweet ghost girl.

Then the scenes went back to her. The small door. The other mother. The mirror. The snowglobe. The well. The key.

Coraline shooked her head in fear, "I-I don't understand. I thought this finally ended. I thought you guys finally moved on! I freed your souls, didn't I? Your souls are no longer in her clutches! Why can't you rest in peace?"

"That is why.. we are asking for your help once more," said the boy sadly, "We don't know why we can't move on. We crossed the bridge. We were just walking.. it was paradise. Then suddenly, _she_ came along. And told us everything. Next thing we knew, we were running.. back to this place."

"_She?_ Who's she?"

Their head turned simultaneously to the old oak tree and as if on cue a girl, about the same age as the ghost children, appeared. She had long black hair, thick eyebrows and rosy red cheeks. She approached timidly, her grey eyes meeting Coraline's hazel ones.

"What's your name?" Coraline asked softly, not wanting to scare the poor child.

"Aggie," she replied, "My name was Aggie."

Coraline glanced at the three ghost children before approaching the girl and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Now, Aggie. Tell me. What are you doing here? What do you need? What's wrong?"

"They hanged and buried me here," came her reply which made Coraline's eyes go wide, "And.. I need your help. It's not just me, Coraline Jones. It's not just the three children. There's many of us and we are all in danger. You're the only one left who came out untouched. The first one.. she is now dead. The Beldam is coming back. And all these children she once held captive.. are in danger. She might take all of us again!

..and, my mommy. Coraline, please help me. She took my mommy again. My mommy is gone. The beldam took her."

At the last statement, Coraline's heart sank. She knew how it felt. Her parents. They were once trapped and she remembered how useless she felt, "Aggie, we're going to fix this. Just tell me that you're going to help me."

_That I'm not going to do this alone again._

"We're all in this together, miss," said the boy, "Because this isn't your fight alone anymore. It is now also ours."

She almost smiled but one look at Aggie's tear-stained cheeks made her heart drop.

"Don't worry, Coraline," said Aggie, "We're not part of the living anymore. So, we could only appear in dreams or visions such as this one. But believe me, you are not alone. He will help you. You will meet him at some point. He can see unlikely things. He also had a brave heart."

"Who?"

"You'll meet him in time."

From the distance, Coraline could hear a voice calling out,_ "Aggie?"_

"There he is right now," said the sweet ghost girl. Coraline could make out a silhouette of a boy, he was calling out Aggie's name. The sweet ghost girl took Coraline's hand, the winged girl took the other, "Let us go now, miss. Two living people meeting in one dream could be dangerous."

She looked back at Aggie, who gave her a hopeful smile in response.

The three ghosts led her deeper into the meadow.. and as they walked farther, the sight became all too familiar. Then they came to a stop. The well was there. The same well at her home.

"Also, miss, your mother is hiding something from you," the boy said, "But don't make it let you think that she is a bad person. She is good in nature, but it is best if you find it out sooner."

She took note of that.

The boy opened the well with the help of the winged girl. Coraline wasn't told what to do but she walked towards the well and without a word, she let herself drop in. She went down in a splash but she couldn't feel anything.. she was only floating. Panic didn't strike or nor did she have any reactions.

Then suddenly, she could feel herself slipping out of consciousness..

* * *

She was woken by her father saying that they have arrived. She figured she slept throughout the entire flight and thankful that she didn't need to suffer airsickness. But her dream, though. Was it real? Or was it even a dream?

She was silent the rest of the taxi ride to the town. Which was still another hour away. She didn't even dare to close her eyes anymore.

Soon, they reached the place where a huge sign read:

_ 'Welcome to Blithe Hollow! A great place to hang!'_

She didn't know what to react.

* * *

**[Author's Note:]**_ Chapter one. As promised :) I'm sorry if it took so long! I planned on finishing this before Christmas break ends but then I got sick and had to be sent to the hospital days before school starts again -.- yeah, and I got out a week later which meant I was already tied to a rough school schedule due to my absence. I'm sorry! But, right now, school's over and I'm all free. *evil laugh*__  
_

_I finally got my Coraline book back so I added some book canons. Since the ghosts were described in the books and there were no Lovats either, I decided to change the tall ghost girl to Mrs. Lovat because let's admit it, the butterfly girl is just to awesome to exclude._

_Thank you for the reviews, alerts and faves, **puppy-anime-luvr**, **Delorean7, 575 **and **Nicktendo Squad**! _

_'Til the next chapter_!

**_-IriMono_**


	3. Chapter 2: Blithe Hollow

Chapter 2: Blithe Hollow

* * *

As he got home from helping Neil and Salma for the preparation for the _Winter Dance_ and and his short visit from Aggie's tree, he felt exhausted. It was 10:00 and he had already probably missed dinner (and no, the pizza with Neil and Salma didn't count because he only hate half a slice since Neil was so _hungry_)(He passes out when he's hungry and starts having seizures). Ever since Courtney had left for college, the house had been pretty quiet. His parents could care less where he would go or what time he got home as long he got home in one piece. He was just a not-so-normal guy living with parents and a dead grandmother.

He stepped into the house and was immediately greeted by her, "Home late, I see?"

"Hey, Grandma." He replied not really acknowledging the green ghostly figure floating right beside him.

"If I was still alive I already would've gave you a good punishment. But I'm dead so what's the use?" She half joked.

"I'm not eight anymore."

"And you're not eighteen _yet_. So, you shouldn't be breaking your curfew ," she said. She was probably intending on scolding him but the way she said it, she sounded rather calm, "Now go take a shower and go to bed."

"Yes, ma'am." But as he got up to his room, he just removed his sneakers and changed into an old shirt and sweatpants then buried himself under his sheets. His stomach made a growling sound.

"Sheesh, Norman. Do you have a lion inside your belly or what?" Said his grandmother who floated from the floor.

"Neil was hungry and forgot to leave a piece or two for me and Salma," he shrugged.

"You can't go to bed with an empty tummy."

"Well, I'm pretty exhausted so-" he yawned then buried himself deeper under his sheets. But Grandma Babcock kept talking, she floated over to a high shelf where he and Courtney's old storybooks were, "I remembered when I used to read you and Courtney to sleep. You both really liked it when I did that. Hmmm, let me see. _Cinderella, Rumpelstiltskin, Red Riding Hood.._ "

Norman did his best to block out his grandmother's talking and shut his eyes tight, "Hey look,_ Sleeping Beauty_! This was one of your sister's favorites!.. but I don't recall Sleeping Beauty sleeping under a tree.. I thought she pricked herself or something? Silly girl.."

Norman shot directly up, "Grandma, give me the book."

"I can't sweetie, I'm dead. I can't touch things. But it's right over here."

He silently groaned, hopping out of bed out and followed his grandmother's directions. He found the book. It was on the very top of the short stack of fairy tales (Probably why Grandma Babcock had seen the cover). His eyes widened. It was the exact book. The one his Uncle Prenderghast used to send Aggie back to sleep every year. But how? He thought the book had been struck by lighting and was permanently ruined. He dusted off the blanket of dust on the cover and opened the book. Then he saw in cursive handwritting-

_Sandra,_

_ Your brother and sister has a copy of this book as well. This is the story of Sleeping Beauty. I hope you'll love it and I hope in one day, you could use it just as how your grandfather and I had._

_Love, Dad_

His eyes widened. So, it wasn't the book his Uncle Prenderghast had, but it was an exact copy. This talent he has had been in their family for generations. His grandfather from his mother's side must have been expecting one of his children to inherit the special ability and it was his uncle Prenderghast who got it. He was rather thankful that the ability had skipped his mom. He didn't like the thought of his mother being called and teased a freak.

He sighed. _Wow, there was a copy of this book in my house all along,_ he thought, _and I went into the trouble to get it from my uncle's dead body. _

_But come to think of it_, Norman hopped back to bed and opened the book with a small smile, _if I had came in time to lull Aggie back to sleep.. then, I'll never find out about the truth and Aggie may never had rest in peace._

Grandma Babcock just smiled at him then disappeared at the wall.

It was odd for a fifteen (going on sixteen) -year-old teenage boy to be reading fairytales such as Sleeping Beauty but for Norman, this meant a whole lot more. He started to read but before he could even reach to the part where the princess had pricked her fingers on the spindle, he felt his eyelids growing heavy and soon drifted to sleep.

* * *

He was back at the place he thought he would never see again:

Aggie's tree and under the tree, there were five figures standing. He squinted his eyes but he still couldn't make out who they were. "Aggie?" he called out, "Aggie is that you?"

As he got closer, the four figures slowly disappeared and a small figure of a girl was left. As the four unknown figures were finally out of sight, the girl waved back, "Norman!"

He smiled at the sound of her voice. He never thought he would see her again. After the incident five years ago, he had never saw her again even in a dream like this. Every week, he would visit her tree and once a week, he would bring flowers, say some words and leave, half wanting her to actually show up and talk to him. He never missed a day in four years.

He broke to a run, "Aggie!"

As he reached the tree, he saw her standing there. She was still looked eleven. Nothing has change. He had grown taller for the past years so he knelt down to give her a proper hug.

"I.. never thought you would show up again." he told her.

She was silent and right there, he knew something was wrong. She pulled away from the hug and looked down at her feet.

"Aggie? What's the matter?" he asked, his voice full of concern.

"Something is happening, Norman," she said, "Something not good. My mother.. she's gone again. Taken."

Before he could even reply, he heard thunder rumbling. he looked up and saw that the sky was swirling in dark clouds. Aggie's eyes widened in fear, "_No_."

"What's going on?" he stood up and took her hand. "_Aggie_?"

"N-No," she repeated. Norman glanced at her. Aggie's face was full of fear. "_She knows_."

Aggie tightened her grip on his and they both sprinted into a run. He didn't know where they were going. The path was unfamiliar but Aggie kept on running. The dark clouds were following them, along with lightning. Norman could feel the strong gust of wind howling in his ears.

"We're in danger, Norman!" Aggie yelled but was still barely inaudible by the strong winds, "The beldam is coming back. She took my mother. She knows our great-aunt Agatha. She's out for vengeance! She took my mother again!"

Norman could barely understand what she was trying to say.

"There's this girl you will meet," Aggie continued on, "She can help you! She's one of us, Norman!"

A stronger wind blew and it almost blasted the two from their feet. Norman had just held on a nearby tree, another hand wrapped around Aggie, "We don't have much time! You need get back to your world! Go!_ Jump_!"

She was referring to the well.

"What about you?" he yelled, the strong winds making it difficult for him to talk.

"I'll be alright! Please, just look for the girl. Help her. You're also in danger. Now,_ jump_!" Norman let go of Aggie. The strong wind made him stumble but he still managed to reach for the well. The last scene he saw was Aggie slowly fading into light and then, he went diving down the well head-first.

* * *

He felt his toes numb and felt inexplainabley cold the next morning. He shifted uncomfortably in his bed while trying to tuck in his cold toes under the warm sheets. Suddenly, he heard something rustling just beside his bed. His body tensed then he slowly opened his eyes.

Norman opened his eyes to the face of Neil Downe staring down at him. He let out a scream.

"Woah there!" his chubby friend exclaimed.

"Why are you in my room?" he asked, clearly terrified.

"Your mom let me in," he replied, "We still have a lot of stuffs to do for the dance next week, remember? The talk is that we meet up every seven in the morning. It's seven-thirty and Salma had already called me _for the hundredth time_ this morning asking where in the world are we."

Since Salma was the highschool student body president, she was responsible for managing the _'Winter Dance' _which was to held every winter break and of course, she just _needed_ to drag Norman and Neil along. Actually, they did it for the extra points and besides, all they had to do was show up and just do what Salma tells them to do.

"Yeah, yeah. Give me a minute," he sat up. He caught sight of the book and immediately slid it under his pillow, not wanting Neil to see it. As he glanced at the window, he saw the reason of the cold; it was snowing. The thick blanket of snow was covering the entire front lawn and reminded him of marshmallows. It wasn't really Norman's favorite season (as he always gets a cold and a stuffy nose) but he found it relaxing.

"Hey, Norman," Neil was scanning along the zombie action-figures, "Why have you never thrown these away yet?"

"They're limited-edition collectibles," Norman replied flatly, getting out of his sheets , "And they're not as bad as that kitty lunch box you still have."

"Touché." Neil replied.

Norman ushered him out of his room since he needed to change. Then he went out two minutes later, wearing winter-appropriate clothes. His stomach grumbled and he realized he really hadn't eaten anything since last night, and headed to the kitchen.

He was greeted with the smell of bacon which made his stomach gurgle even more. Sandra and Perry Babcock were already seated on the table busy reading newspapers. Neil had rather made a noisy entrance (tripping on the mat and almost knocked over their vase) and they caught the adult's attention.

"Oh good, you managed to wake him," said Sandra, beaming at the two boys. "Breakfast's on the table, dear."

He sat down on his usual seat. Neil sat on where Courtney used to. Norman took as many bacon as possible because he will not let Neil get in the way with his food ever again.

After finishing up with a glass of orange juice, he realized that the two adults were too concentrated on what they were reading. The two were barely saying a word to each other. Their eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

"Uh, Dad, 'wacha reading there?" He asked.

"Just _The Blithe Hollow Bugle. _Just look at what this guy sent in to_ Dear Blithely_! It's hilariously pathetic!" Perry howled in laughter. He used to loathe the Bugle since it always had their names and always got picked at. Mr. Prenderghast used to have his own section called _'Hollow Words'_ in the paper. They were the town _oddity_. Only Courtney seemed to be the one who didn't have a hard time fitting in but she was no help since she always tend to bash Norman every time she gets interviewed.

Then after the incident, the death of Mr. Prenderghast and Courtney moving to college (and also, her sudden change of heart after the incident), they were finally warming up to being treated _normal_. They have rarely seen their names getting bashed anymore. They could still read news about themselves, but that was because Blithe Hollow was a small town and any little event is already worthy of newspaper publishing (Take Mrs. Henscher victory with getting rid of the rodents in her house, for example).

Norman nodded then he turned to Sandra, "Uh, mom, any interesting news out there?"

Sandra was more focused on the news out side of town.

"Hm.. definitely," she replied in her usual sweet and calm tone, "The town of Burgess is really feeling the winter spirit. They're having ice sculpting contests, snow ball war games, ice skating and free hot choco. They're celebrating in honor of the legend of _Old Man Winter_."

"And, oh!" she exclaimed as she caught sight of a new article, "I'm sure you'll like this, honey. _'Born again in New Holland?' _It's about a rumor going about a boy that had successfully raised his pet from the dead. Though, it has not yet been confirmed since the townspeople refuses to speak up which just arouses more suspicion."

Norman gave a small nod. Sure, the living dead was one of his little obsessions a few years ago (He still has those action figures as proof) but as after the incident, he had been more mature.

"..what is this?" Sandra's eyes stopped at one article, "_'Last night, a star of the late 50's had passed away. April Spink is an elderly retired actress along with her life-long companion in show business, Miriam Forcible. Spink's body was found dead in their flat and is still unclear whether it was suicide or homicide . According to sources.._."

Whatever it was, Norman wasn't that much interested. But still, it was new. He barely heard of his mother telling him about a murder case.

"Sad. She was one of your Grandma Prederghast's favorite actresses of all time." Sandra said.

* * *

"_Where were you_?"

Salma approached the two with arms crossed, undoubtedly mad at the two. "I thought I made it clear that we meet at seven?"

"Sorry, Salma," Norman smiled apologetically at his friend, "We got.. a little busy."

Salma huffed, "Fine. We already lost too much time. Come now, we need to sell more tickets."

They trailed along her until they reached the town square. She turned to the two and handed them stacks of tickets. "Now, I expect we would be done by nine o'clock and I expect all tickets sold. Remember, approach _friendly_ and never settle for the _'I'll pay later'_ excuse. I repeat, _never_. We cannot risk being short on money."

She turned on her heels and approached two familiar faces from their high school. Neil sighedand looked at Norman, "I get nervous around strangers."

Norman patted his friend on the back, "Goodluck."

Salma seemed to be doing great. Norman, not so much and Neil? _Don't even ask_. They met up again near their school, all three of them looking exhausted. They both handed back their left-over tickets in which Salma groaned in frustration, "Really? You both can't even sell tickets to save your own lives."

If Norman could sell to the ghosts, then he _would_. It seemed like the ghosts were more interested in it than the living beings in this little town.

She put the tickets back in he pocket. Sighing, "Well, at least we got.. $13? That's fine enough. But still.."

As if on cue, a girl around their age came trudging along the snowy path. Salma perked up and approached the girl. "Hey _you_!"

_Well, so much for friendly apporoaching_, Norman inwardly groaned. Norman noticed something unusual from the girl. Her hair was dark, but if you look at it closely, it had a hint of blue-ish purple. He wondered if she dyed it. She had huge hazel eyes and a freckled-face. Even though she was along their age, Norman couldn't recall seeing her around town somewhere. Suddenly, there was a sudden pain in his head that he couldn't understand.

"_Me_?" she replied, clearly taken aback.

"Yes," Salma put a hand on the girl's shoulder, "What's your name and how old are you?"

"I'm Coraline and I'm uh, f-fifteen?"

Salma smiled, "You should attend the Winter Dance."

What she replied was something in a mix tone of laughter and confusion, "Uh, I don't even go here."

"Oh, don't worry! It's open for everyone. That's why we made it during the winter break, so other people around the country can attend." Which was true. Blithe Hollow had such a small population that they really needed to invite people from other places so that they could have a huge crowd.

"That's nice but I don't really have someone to bring with me. Also, I don't really know anybody in this town so-"

"Well, _Caroline_. My name is Salma. That guy is Neil and the other is Norman. You should definitely g-"

"It's _Coraline_ and thank you _but no thank you_. Look, I really don't want to go.. so, if you'll _excuse me_." Coraline didn't even glance at Norman or Neil and walked off, brushing past Salma. She seemed to be irritated with Salma's failed attempt with entrepreneurship. Norman couldn't blame her.

"That was rude." Salma grumbled under her breathe as she walked back to her two friends.

"Actually, Salma.. you were the one who was-"

"Just keep quiet, Neil." Norman elbowed his friend.

So, all in all, the trio didn't feel like doing anything more productive that day. The teenagers found a place at _Witchy Weiner'_s. Salma was lecturing Neil about the Greek and Roman myths in which Neil seemed only half interested in listening. Norman was trying to avoid conversation with the both as possible and tried making himself looked entertained with the same copy of the paper his mother was reading this morning._  
_

"..and for the record Neil, Pluto was also the god of the underworld _and riches_ in Roman mythology in which his Greek counterpart, Hades was only god of the underworld.."

His head wasn't hurting anymore. Maybe it was just because of the cold. He took another sip of the hot chocolate before flipping another page. His eyes scanned around the words '_Child Disappearances_' at the paper which surprisingly got his attention. He had heard of children disappearing before.. but this was absurd. There was a page filled with names of children all around the country. The eldest are around eleven to twelve and youngest at three years old.

The little bell rang, which indicates a new customer had entered the diner..

The blue-haired girl had entered the diner along with two other adults. She shook snow from her boots before fully getting in. The room was rather warm, so she took her coat off just like what the other did. She looked around slowly and caught his eye...and that's when everything went ludicrously in slow-motion. Her hazel eyes suddenly flashed in a electric green color. They stared at each other, paralyzed.

Once those once-hazel eyes had locked with his blue ones, something bizarre happened:_ he had a vision_.

It was something he hadn't done for a long time but it was happening right now.

The walls of the diner seemed to disintegrate then he saw _fire_. It was burning as high as a skyscraper. There were frightened little children around the house, holding hands and seemed to be chanting some sort of spell. Inside the fire, Norman could distinguish a figure of a woman struggling to break -free, her bloodcurdling cries echoing through the empty lot. The scene faded and what was left was a view of a palace-like house in the middle of the woods.

The scene changed and he watched a little girl wearing fake butterfly wings being dragged inside a small door by needle-like hands. The petrifying screams of the little girl echoed through the empty corridors. The next was a boy, he was holding hands with the peculiar hand. He seemed to be shaking tremendously. The view shifted and that's when Norman saw the eyes of the boy were replaced by _buttons_. Dried blood was smeared all over the boys face.

_"Shh now. It didn't hurt that much, did it? Now, let me tuck you in for tonight because you're now my son."_

He heard a painful ripping sound, but he looked away.

Next, there was two identical girls in one bed. The one on the left opened her eyes and silently crept out of the room. She reached the small door in the parlor and crawled inside. The scene immediately shifted into something very gruesome. One of the needle-like hand was holding the struggling child down on a workbench while the other hand was holding real needle and thread. With one last push of the girl's little head on the workbench, the other hand thrust the needle with the thread into the girl's eye.

Then he came faced-to-face with a mirror. He put both hands on the mirror and once it came contact, the reflection changed. The hands in the reflection were smaller compared to his. It had delicate fingers and what seemed like scars and bruises on the palm. His eyes drifted to the face, and he saw a little girl around eleven. She had short hair and huge eyes. She was in black and white. Her hands started roaming around the sides of the mirror, as if searching for a secret compartment that could open it.

Norman tried banging on the mirror to break it. But the little girl didn't notice it.

The girl's hands dropped to her side and a look of hopelessness flashed on her eyes. She slid down into lying position until she was already curled into a ball.

Norman watched the little girl with sadness in his eyes. He remembered Aggie. How she felt so hopeless. And how he wasn't been able to save her.

With one last strong hit from his fist, the mirror cracked. The girl inside perked up, her eyes widening. First was a look of happiness then overcame by a look of fear. She screamed, but Norman doesn't hear. She pointed at something behind Norman and slowly, Norman turned around. He saw two needle-like hands striking at him. He was blasted off through the never-ending hallway.

Scenes and words came flashing to him in an instant. He saw the little girl in color. Her blue hair and freckled face and how she crawled inside the door. All he could say in his head was, _"No. No. No. No."_

The girl reached the other side. In which she was greeted by a tall woman.

_"You're not my mother."_

_"I am your Other Mother, silly._"

There was a banquet on the table with food and drinks Norman never had tasted before. There was the bright-haired girl sitting in the middle, looking as amused as she could be.

Then it was up the room. There were toys flying around, talking. They were alive. It was something an 8-year-old Norman would've dreamed of having. Norman felt a little part of him smile and felt at home.

_..But no, this is wrong.._

He saw the girl laying on a bed much larger than her- probably her parent's bed- as she silently cried. He saw her going up to the parlor again with puffy eyes and crouching down to the level of the door with words echoing from her mouth, _"Because if you're scared and you still do it anyway, that's brave."_

The scene shifted and it was the girl running around the palace-like house. A stone held up to her eye. There was a beautiful garden with glowing and singing flowers. There was a black cat running beside her. Again, the scene changed and they were back at the parlor. The face of the woman was hidden but he could see the familiar needle-like hands.

He watched her battle. He watched her as she set a trap for her hand. He watched as the hand fell into a hole of darkness.

Then he was back at the scene of the fire. The figure stopped struggling. The children stopped chanting. Their eyes fixed on the giant flame dancing though the night. His eyes caught sight of a girl around thirteen at his left. She looked familiar to him but at the same time, she looked so different.

One of the children screamed and then everyone broke into a panic. Flames shot out to everywhere like a meteor strike. Norman was stuck, he cannot move and run like the others. A ball of flame went shooting right at him and after that, all he could feel was _burning._

* * *

Norman's eyes shot up as he felt burning. He then realized he was on the floor, newspaper scattered with his hot chocolate spilled all over his shirt. People were gathering around to see the view. Especially the blue-haired girl who rushed to his side quickly, he could obviously see that something happened to her as well, she was blinking rapidly as if her eyes still stung. But before she could give a helping hand, Neil had already knelt down beside him and helped him up. Salma clasped a hand on his back as he was up and motioned for him to sit down.

She waved one hand to the crowd, "Nothing to see here, folks."

The blue-haired girl gave one more peculiar glance as she turned her back and followed the two adults to a table at the far left corner.

As soon as the crowd dispersed, Neil and Salma bent closer as she whispered, "Woah, what happened? We haven't seen you done that.._ in ages_."

"I-I don't know." Norman replied, resting his forehead on his palm. His eyes fell on his chocolate-covered shirt.

"Man, that was freaky. Something must be up." Neil whispered, recalling the past events.

"I don't really know. Wh-What happened?"

Salma pursed her lips, "You just.. fainted. Right there and then. And that's when we thought you had another vision or something.."

Norman didn't respond. Which made Neil and Salma glance nervously at each other, "Norman.. you didn't have one, did you?"

"No," Norman lied, "I'm just tired. That's all."

Norman knew Salma and Neil doesn't believe him but they didn't ask any further. "Uhm so, do you want anything to drink? Water or something?"

He caught sight of the blue-haired girl. She was rubbing her eyes, she looked up and blink twice and that's when she exhaled deeply. She turned to look at him but her mind changed as she jerked her head back. Norman uttered no word but he turned back his attention to his friends, which he thinks is the better solution.

"Water. Water would be nice."

* * *

**[Author's Note:]** Me and **Kiwi Werewolf** decided to upload a chapter at the same time! :D If you haven't read her story, **Power of Three**, then you should go and read it _now_!

I wrote Norman's vision scene while listening to 1440 by Olafur Arnalds, Where Is My Mind- Suckerpunch OST

Now, Norman and Coraline have met *evil laugh* Let the intense parts of the story begin.

OH! And I added some kind of little hints of other animated movies in this chapter! I'll give a virtual cookie to the one who could guess them all! (There's just two)

Again, many thanks to **Delorean7**, **Nicktendo Squad**, **Kiwi Werewolf** and **Emori Loul** for the faves, alerts and reviews! They mean a lot!

'Til the next update, guys!

**-IriMono**


	4. Chapter 3: Can You Keep A Secret?

Chapter 3: Can You Keep A Secret?

* * *

It was probably the worst family vacation Coraline ever had.

She was expecting some sightseeing or maybe a bit of mall strolling? But instead, she was trapped in a strange house far away from Blithe's Hollow town. It reminded her eerily of the Pink Palace, only the house is not much of a palace but more of a mini mansion. When Coraline asked her mother about the place, she simply said it was from her side of the family.

Coraline has been having growing suspicions on Mel lately. She didn't find it normal on how the couple would barely leave the house. Her father always looked dazed at most time, as if he was under a spell. He greets her a good morning or a good night whenever they pass around each other but other than that, they rarely spoke. This made Coraline a bit lonely at time. He was the only one who really spoke to her if Wybie's not around or whenever she would have a disagreement with her mother.. which is the exact situation right now.

She took note of what the ghosts told her. Her mother was hiding something and she wasn't doing a great job at not making it obvious. But what she was doing a great job at avoiding Coraline at all costs. Coraline couldn't put her finger to it, but there's something about her mother. Whenever they would go out together for dinner, Coraline would forget about the whole thing.

To ease her frustration, Coraline did what she usually does: Go explore alone.

They arrived at Blithe Hollow somewhere around four in the morning and a snowy blanket already covered the whole town.

She had just been having second thoughts about the whole thing. She was thinking that maybe she was just hallucinating from the trauma. She was just about to give up when suddenly, she sees a boy.

She had seen him before, when that annoying girl was trying to sell her tickets to a dance or some sort. But she didn't give him much attention. The snow was distracting and she was deep in her thought. But once she had locked eyes with him at that diner, she felt an excruciating feeling of being electrocuted. She remembered the memory vividly when she unintentionally tried plugging in her mother's computer charger with wet hands.

Her mind went blank and shocks of images came to her. It was like watching a horror movie; she saw things rising up from the grave, zombies? She saw floating translucent figure in which she assumed were ghosts. She saw a little boy not older than eleven talking to them while other laugh at him. She saw dark swirls in the sky, thunder and lightning. She hears the soft whimper and pleading of a little girl and a mother who was screaming for her daughter. And then she saw a figure hanging limply from a tree, a rope around its neck. She saw a blast of green sparks and with a huge boom, she heard someone screamed, _"I'LL MAKE YOU SUFFER!"_

The scene changed and she was inside a room. It was an old victorian-styled room. There were red dusty curtains covering the window, there was a design of a woman holding hands with different other children embroidered on it. Next thing she knew, she was suffocating in an enclosed, dusty space reaching for something she couldn't make out. Then as if something was pulling her away, she felt a force grabbing her and then she was back standing at the Pink Palace. Everything was dead silent and cold. A hand gripped hers tightly and she rested her head on that person's shoulder. She felt someone kissing her forehead lightly before she opened the door and saw everything burning inside.

When Coraline slipped back into consciousness, her eyes stung , her head was throbbing and she was shaking. She saw the same boy, sprawled on the floor, his drink spilled and his paper scattered. She had an unnerving feeling that he might've experienced the same thing.

The ghosts said she was going to meet someone, right? Someone who would help her?

She might already have an idea on who that person is.

The only problem was, who was he? How was she going to tell him? What if he's going to freak out and run away screaming? Or maybe he'll even laugh at her and call her a freak.

It was 10:30 am and Coraline decided to do a little bit more exploring. She found herself looking for a well, or maybe a cat she could play with. Even though she won't admit it, but she's homesick. She missed Cat. He didn't show up as often as before but if he did, he would always show up at her window. She missed the people there. Yeah, she started getting used to the company of old people. Her stomach tightened as she thought about April Spink. She had to keep her pace faster to prevent herself from tearing up.

As much as she also hates to admit, she missed Wybie. He was the first one to ever understood all about that whacked-up incident and he already became her best friend. Her friends from Michigan rarely visit now, so all she had was Wybie. Wybie got her back ever since the incident by the well. They were always together that she might've already considered him as her brother.

There was no well or a cat, or a Wybie as well but she found a little house in the midst of the forest. She could tell it was long abandoned because place looked clearly unkempt; moss covered the walls, trash scattered everywhere, pieces of wood were nailed to cover the windows and snow piled up the roof as if it was going to break collapse any time soon. She couldn't resist the urge to go up to it and attempted to open it. It was locked and probably for a good reason. So, Coraline left it and continued her little walk. She couldn't help but feel that everything was familiar.

She stopped dead at her tracks when she saw a boy standing before an old dead tree. It was the boy from the diner. He wore a red scarf around his neck and a black jacket. She watched as he knelt down and placed a flower beside the tree. As much as she wanted to stick around and ask what on earth he was doing, Coraline turned back, praying that he didn't see her.

"Hey."

_Life hates me._

She froze then slowly, turned around, "Hi."

He approached her, snow crunching under his boots. "_Coraline_, right?"

Coraline felt her chest lighten._ He actually got her name right_ and the way he went slowly at 'Cora' when he pronounced her name - as if he was afraid of getting her name wrong- made her want to give this guy a trophy. Heck, even Wybie got her name wrong at first.

"Yeah," she responded before smiling apologetically, "I'm sorry but I don't quite remember your name."

"It's Norman. Norman Babcock."

"Sorry, Norman," Coraline held out her hand, "Full name's Coraline Jones. Nice to meet you."

He shook it, "It's fine, really. Likewise"

"If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing here?" Norman asked once he let go of her hand.

Coraline was about to ask him the same question but decided it was best if she didn't get on the wrong foot with him. After all, she _needed_ him.. in a way. Scaring him away at the first meeting wouldn't be a great idea.

"I'm kinda staying around here," she answered truthfully. She didn't find a reason to hide.

"Since when?"

"Three days ago. But we'll be outta here in a week or so. We're only in vacation."

Norman smiled, "Blithe Hollow's a bore, huh?"

Coraline stared at his smile, heart beating a little more faster but she quickly shook it off. Shrugging, "Nah. It's not as bad as my home."

"Where is that?"

"Oregon. It rains each and every day. I swear, you're going to hate it there."

Norman let out a small chuckle. "I've lived here all my life. So, anywhere else would probably be a better place for me."

Coraline laughed a little. He was easier to get along than expected, "Figures."

There was a brief silence. Coraline's mind was filled with thoughts. _'What to do next? What to say? Gosh, just tell him there's an evil witch going to kill the both of you.'_

"So.. where do you live around here?" he asked, breaking the silence.

Coraline pointed to the path all the way to the small hill where her the house stood. "Over there. Up that hill."

"T-The Prenderghast estate?" She could hear the uneasy sound in his voice.

_Prenderghast? _Coraline suddenly felt tense. The Prenderghast estate? That's where they're staying right now? And her mother said the house was her grandmother's. She does not recall her maiden name being Prenderghast. But the name has a familiar twinge to her.

"Yeah, I guess. That big house on the hill..I didn't know it was called that," Coraline said, "My mother said it was in the family."

She saw his face's reaction turn into pure confusion. Before he could speak she immediately asked another question, "How about you? What were you doing here?"

"Just.. visiting." he replied.

She didn't want to pry. Considering that they barely knew each other and she was not going to scare him away. Though, part of her just wants to know everything. Especially if he has any idea what is going on.

"Oh, okay." She bit her lower lip. The air suddenly felt awkward. Coraline looked down to the ground, where she tried to keep her mind busy with the snow, "I-I should get back."

"Okay," he replied, "See you around."

They both turned their backs and starting trudging down (or up) to the path they took.

As Coraline head back up to her house, she couldn't help but feel unfulfilled. That was her chance and she blew it. Who knows when she would see him again? Or even talk to him again?

She walked further away from the spot they met and as she got closer to her home, the more she thought about their meeting and became puzzled. First of all, he said he was visiting. Who on earth was he visiting? There was no one in that place aside from the Jones. If he was talking about that old abandoned house.. then he must be crazy. No one lives there. He even brought flowers to a tree..

_Flowers._

_He was placing flowers under a tree._

Coraline stopped. _Why was he doing that?_

_That tree.._

_He was visiting.._

Struck in realization, she gasped, "A grave?"

The tree was a grave? B-But-

Before she could finish her thoughts, she sprinted back to the place. _The tree was a grave. There was a tree in my dream. A ghost of a girl names Aggie said she was hanged. She was asking for my help and.._

_..she also asked for his._

No wonder the places started looking familliar. It was in her dream.

The slope down was steep. Coraline was running down the hill fast, she was out of control. She felt herself hitting a solid figure that sent them both tumbling down the hill. Once they hit the bottom, she landed painfully on her back. Wincing from the pain, she slowly sat up and when she looked over to her side..

"_Norman?_"

Groaning, he pushed himself up. There was a cut on his forehead dripping with blood. Coraline stared down at her own self, her jeans were ripped, exposing her wounded knee and she was sure her foot wasn't supposed to face _that_ way.

"Oh my gosh," she forced herself to crawl (which is more painful than she thought) towards him. "I'm so sorry.."

She was panting. Half of her was in pain and the other half over-embarassed at the moment. She pulled out her handkerchief and pressed it on his forehead.

"It's okay." Norman replied, slightly wincing from the pressure.

"_Okay?!_ I could've severely injured you!" Coraline exclaimed. She thought about bringing him into the house and patch him up but with her wounded leg, it would be impossible for her to climb up at the moment.

"Really, it's fine," he insisted, taking the handkerchief and pressing it on his own forehead, "Hey, you're hurt too."

"It's just a leg wound, no biggie-"

"No, your lip is bleeding.. and your injuries are worse than you think," he said as he glanced down at her foot. He took the hankerchief an folded it into the side where it wasn't stained with blood and gently dabbed it on her lip. She was silent as she stared intensely at him. His blue eyes were focused on her bleeding lip and she was just getting conscious that his other hand was cupping her left cheek.

"Can you walk?" he asked, extending his hand as he got up. Coraline grasped it and made an effort to get up but it only caused her more pain. She sat back down.

"My house is just a short walk from here and up the hill. I think we could get there." Coraline said.

Norman crouched down to her level, looking at her with a uneasy look, "See, about your house.. I'm not really supposed to go there."

"R-Really? Why?" Coraline asked, astonished.

"I.. don't know." he was lying. Coraline can tell. She'd know when people lie.

"Okay, Let's just bleed to death then."

Norman smiled, "No thanks."

"Oh, so you're just gonna leave me here because you can walk?" Coraline smiled playfully.

He chuckled, "Come on. I know where to get help."

Even though Coraline protested, she ended up riding on his back. She wondered if she was heavy. They trudged down the snowy path heading to the town's center.

She was dying to ask him. It wasn't like her to be loss for words.. she could bomb him with questions and analysis in an instant. It's just.. she doesn't know where to start. The pain she was feeling on her foot was not helping one bit. She was biting down her lower lip just to stop herself from screaming.

What was she afraid, really? Was she afraid that Norman wouldn't believe her? Didn't she have the proof that maybe he already has an idea on what was going on? If yes, then why couldn't she speak?

"My Uncle used to live around here. In the outskirts of town, I mean."

Coraline snapped out of her trance, "U-uhm. I assume he once lived at that old house.. not far from mine?"

He nods, "He's dead already."

"..So, that's who you were visiting?"

There was dead silence before he responded, "Yeah."

_Lies, _Coraline thought. She pursed her lips before speaking, "No. You weren't."

Norman stopped walking. "What?"

"You weren't visiting your dead Uncle's grave."

He started walking again, "W-What makes you say that?"

He shows the most obvious signs of lying. The stuttering, the unsure voice and the delayed response.

Coraline racked her brain for a decent response. "There's this girl. She's dead. Hanged."

He didn't speak.

"I know about it," Coraline said, almost in a whisper.

"Agatha," he finally said, "She was Agatha."

"She told me her name was Aggie,"

Norman looked at her and smiled, "She must really trust you. Only family called her Aggie."

"I'm not part of her family."

"I know. I _would_ know."

They heard the sound of an incoming car. They followed it and soon found the help they needed. _"Sweet baby jenkins_!"

Sheriff Hooper approached the battered-looking teenagers, "_Babcock_! What on earth happened here?! Is there a wild grizzly bear on the loose? Oh for goodness' sake, get inside the car!" they both did as they were told. Coraline slipped in the backseat with a bit of difficulty, Norman followed.

"You're lucky I decided to bring the car instead of the motorbike," Sheriff Hooper said as she got into the driver's seat, "Now, what on earth happened?"

"We.." Coraline started.

"..Fell." Norman finished.

"That must've been one heck of a fall." She replied, "You're lucky I still owe you for stopping that zombie invasion or else I would've been suspecting something funny. Anyway, who's your little friend? Don't get to see her around. Is she new? Tourist?"

Coraline gave Norman a puzzled look. In which he just avoided her gaze. "I'm Coraline Jones. Tourist."

"Well, welcome to Blithe Hollow; a great place to hang." Sherrif Hooper said without any enthusiasm. She turned her attention back to Norman, "So, should I send you back home?"

"Please."

"And her?"

"She's with me."

"Huh. Never knew she was already your girlfriend."

Coraline flustered, "Uh, we're not-"

"I'm just helping her out, Sheriff Hooper."

"Oh, in that case..."

* * *

"Hi, mom."

Sandra Babcock dropped her cup of coffee as she saw the two teenagers before her. "Norman Babcock, what on earth had happened to you?" She went over to inspect the boy's forehead. She then averted her attention to Coraline, "Oh my, we need to get you both patched up."

She made Coraline sit on the couch, "I'll be back. Just hold on." She gave Norman a quick kiss on the head and disappeared into the kitched to get some ice.

"Are you okay?" Norman asked Coraline once his mother was in the kitchen.

"I'm fine," Coraline replied, "Your mom is really nice."

She imagined if she ever came home this beat up, her mother would definitley yell at her. She was rarely in good terms with her mother that she felt almost jealous just seeing their mother-son interaction.

Sandra appeared again, ice packs and a first-aid kit in hand. She handed one to Norman and then proceeded to treat Coraline, "Let me see your foot, sweetie."

Coraline reluctantly removed her boots and then socks. She was met with a very grusome scene. It was probably worse than she thought. Her foot was twisted in a completely odd angle. Her ankles were red and swollen.

Sandra made a _tsk_ sound, "Looks like we need to get it back to place."

She didn't like the sound of that.

"Could you hold still for a second? I promise the pain would quick."

Coraline gulped before finally nodding. "Hold still."

With one painful twist and a loud crack, her foot was back in place. But that didn't stop the slight pain she was still feeling. "Thank you."

"My pleasure. I'm Sandra, by the way."

"I'm Coraline."

"Nice to meet you." Sandra smiled at her. After she was done treating her, she went back to Norman. She took a damp cloth and carefully treated the cut on his forehead. When Norman finally insisted that he could take it from there, Sandra went back to the kitchen to get some refreshments.

"So, where are you from Coraline?" Sandra asked as they were all aided up and were finally enjoying steaming cups of hot chocolate.

"Ashland, Oregon." she replied, taking a sip.

"Where are you staying here in Blithe Hollow?"

Norman gave her an alarmed look. He was slowly mouthing a, _'No.'_

She understood what he meant. "Uhm, me and my family are staying in the_ Witch's Cauldron_ at the moment. We're only here for a week." She recalled passing by that inn a few times.

"I do hope you enjoy your Christmas vacation here. Maybe you and your family can join us for dinner sometime?"

"_Mom.._"

"Norman, I'm being friendly to _our guest._" Sandra said.

Coraline chuckled, "I'll definitley inform my parents about the invitation, Mrs. Babcock. Thank you."

Sandra smiled and got up mumbling, _'What a polite_ _girl_.'

"Well, I'll leave you both for now. You need to rest that foot first, Coraline. I'll just drive you to the Witch's Cauldron later."

"No, mom. I think I could drive her." Norman said hurriedly.

"Honey, you're not legal to drive yet.. besides, you don't even know how to."

"But-"

Coraline put a hand on his shoulder and whispered, "It's okay. I can handle."

"Okay." Norman said just loud enough for Sandra to hear.

"Good." and with that, Sandra disappeared into the next room. The door closed behind her and Coraline immediatley spoke, "So, your mom won't ask what happened to us or something?

"She's not the prying type." Norman replied then he immediatley changed the subject, "You know, I have a lot of questions for you."

"Imagine the questions I have for _you_."

"I'll ask first. Answer truthfully.." he said then quickly adding, "..please."

Coraline chuckled, "Sure."

"How do you know?"

"She told me."

"Where?"

"Under her tree."

"When?"

"The night we arrived here."

Norman paused. Coraline was answering his questions with ease. His mind racing with question but those were all he could manage to say at that moment. Norman stared at her. He was sure he believed her.

"My turn?" Coraline asked. He nodded. "Don't lie. I could tell."

She didn't mean it to sound threatening but Norman still nodded. Coraline looked down to her feet before she started asking. "How do you know her?"

"I stopped her..and she was great great aunt or something."

That's why he said he would know if she was family. She nodded, "stopped her from what?"

"From destroying the whole town."

It was Coraline's turn to pause awkwardly. "Wh-What was that zombie invasion that officer was talking about? I mean, was it literal? Or was it a figurative phrase?"

"Literal. See, there's this curse Aggie put on the the people who testified against her, just before they hanged her. She didn't let them rest in peace. During her anniversary, they would rise up.. and only to be stopped if someone with a special ability could lull her back to sleep before her anniversary. I-uh- was kinda late and the dead started rising and all-"

"Wait. What? Why did they hang her? What happened?"

"They thought Aggie was a witch. They hanged her. She was so enraged that she _accidentally_ put a curse on them."

"She's the witch? The witch this town had been celebrating for her death?" Coraline asked.

"Yes. It's sickening.. I know."

"That's unbelievable. That's so.." she was at loss for words again. She pursed her lips then told him to go on.

"I.. needed to stop her. But - like I said - I was too late. So, I needed to finad another way to stop her. The solution I found.. was different than I originally planned. I saw what happened to her. She wasn't the wicked witch everyone was told about. She was innocent.. and young.. and was hanged. I made her rest in peace forever. At least, that was what I thought."

Coraline nodded, "H-How did you know? I mean, if everybody thought she was wicked, how did you find out she wasn't? A-And why you? Why were you the one needed to stop her?"

"I.. see things." He sounded reluctant, "We all did. My family, I mean. We were _special_. Everyone laughed at us."

"Everyone of you? Your mother can see things also?"

"It skipped my mother.. and my sister. I don't know why it was only me who inherited it in this generation."

"Wh-What do you see, really?" Coraline asked, "Are they..ghosts? the dead?"

"Mostly," he replied, "I sometimes have visions."

Coraline was finally warming up to him. She believed in every word he had said. Even though it sounded surreal, she'd believed it. She had gone through something much unbelievable.

"When we were at that diner, did you see something?"

"Yes. Did you?"

"Yes."

"What did you see?" she asked carefully.

"I saw you." Coraline shifts uncomfortably on her seat, "And?"

"I saw buttons."

Her heart started slamming through her ribcage. She had gone through years without her bringing up the topic directly. She had thought about it, yes. She had dreamt about it. But it was a long time since she had talked about it with another living person. Wybie intended to never settle on that topic ever again and he was the only one who knew what really happened.

"There was a little door. You were crawling in it. When you surfaced to the other side, there was a woman who called herself 'Other Mother'. There were other children I saw getting.. victimed by that woman. There was this door and a key and a hand. You were inside a mirror and there was fire-"

"Stop."

She was trembling. It was like the temperature in the room dropped to a zero degrees. Her fingertips felt numb. There was no thinking he was a fraud now. There was no way that was all a wild guess. He did actually see it.

"..I'm sorry."

"It's fine. I'm just not used to talking about it. You see, I tried forgetting about it but the aftershock was just so.. obvious. They sent me to therapy and such," she chuckled as if it was _supposed_ to be funny then quickly cleared her throat and told him, "I saw some things, too. Mostly the stuff you just mentioned a while ago. The zombies and ghosts. I think I heard Aggie. Then.. I just found myself back home and saw.. fire."

She didn't recall fire in the incident. She honestly didn't.

"Did you have the dream?" Norman asked, sensing that she doesn't want to dwell on the topic anymore.

"Yeah," Coraline replied and then she looked at him, "They told me I'm going to meet someone who will help me..."

She looked at him. "Can you?"

Norman gave her a hopeful smile, "I hope so. I mean, I could.. if you won't bail on me or something."

"Well, you didn't leave me in the forest when my foot was broken. So, I suppose I wouldn't."

They laughed a bit, enjoying the little moment of relief and maybe a start of a budding frienship.

"Just so you know, I'm still conused about everything. They didn't tell me enough."

Coraline decided to finally strip away the fear and tell him. She jumped to the whole story, about how she found the door and the Beldam. "In the dream, th-they told me she was coming back. That she was going to get back on all of us. When Aggie asked for my help.. she mentioned her mother. She said her mother was missing again and the Beldam took her. When I was eleven, the Beldam took my parents too."

"She told me about her mother, too. I haven't met the ghost children. Maybe I would've if the Beldam didn't find us. A storm came in my dream and Aggie said something about her knowing. I never had another dream of her since."

"Same here. Although, the vision I had was something to remind me that they weren't just a figure of my imagination."

"What else?"

"The ghosts also told me about my mother hiding something from me. These days, I could feel it. But I can't ask her what.. there's just something. It's just-ugh. It's hard to explain at the moment. I'll still look for it."

"I'll help if I can."

Coraline smiled at him gratefully, "Thank you. So, it's a deal then? We're both in this?"

Norman didn't hesitate before he took her hand again and shaking it, "Yeah, it's a deal."

Norman glanced at the clock and saw that it was nearing three in the afternoon. Sandra reappeared moments later, looking for her other sweater. "It's just too cold this holiday. When Perry comes home from home, I'll ask him to adjust the temperature.."

"You think you can walk now?" Norman asked once Sandra was out again.

"Think so." Coraline pushed herself to her feet. She took a few steps until she finally got used to it. Both got their bags, jackets and headed outside. Blithe Hollow was more packed in the winter holidays rather than summer or spring break. People would rather go to some sunny beach or go to a different country. But in the holidays, people tend to spend them in the more isolated towns like Blithe Hollow.

Children were chasing each other down, snowballs in hand, almost knocking over the two. "Where are we going?" Coraline asked. She needed to keep her pace steady to keep her from tripping. She also walked a little bit close to Norman so she would have some support.

"Somewhere else. We still need to talk. My dad would be home later and he doesn't like the thought of me with all these ghosts and stuff."

Coraline understood. They soon arrived at the Witchy Weiner's where the little incident happened. They sat down on the first table they saw. They both had another awkward silence before Coraline spoke, "This.. thing. We shouldn't really tell anybody else, right? I mean, by doing so, we would just put them in danger."

"Right," Norman agreed, "Uhm. Does anybody else knows about the Beldam incident?"

"There's my friend,Wybie," she replied, "He's way back home. I don't think he would be in any danger. And yours?"

"Basically, the whole town knows about the zombie and the witch.. but the real story behind Aggie? Only my family, Neil and Salma."

"Do they know about the dream and the visions?"

"No. It would be better if they didn't."

"So, it's a secret."

"A secret."

They both decided to spend a little more time in that place. Coraline shared about her experience with her father's '_food_' and how she would always eat anything at every opportunity just to get her full before going home and facing her dad's mystery food of the day. They were just talking about things that were going on but eventually, they landed back on the topic.

"_April Spink_? The dead actress?" Norman asked with mouth full of french fries.

"Woah, how did you know about her?"

"She was in the paper mom was reading. But seriously, you think her death could be a connected or something?"

"Yes, _I think_, but I'm not entirely sure. See, the next morning after she died, everyone just left. My mother told me we were on a vacation here. I just heard later that day that the two other inhabitants of the apartment would be leaving as well. It's something suspicious."

"We really need to find out about all of this."

Coraline agreed, "Since you could see ghosts.. do you think you can see her? Maybe summon her. I need to talk to her."

"I don't summon the dead," Norman chuckled at the ludicrous idea. "I just talk to the ones around,"

"Then, where do you find them?" Coraline asked, confused.

"Usually where they died."

"Maybe we could go back to the Pink Palace? Would she be there?"

"It also depends. Some only stay as ghosts because they have something to finish in this world. If they've done their duty, that's when they can finally move on. We don't know for sure if April Spink died in peace or still had some unfinished jobs."

Coraline sighed. Taking a sip of her soda, she glanced outside the window. The sun was already orange in the sky, saying that it is almost time for night.

"Something tells me she's not done yet." she replied.

* * *

With the help of Norman, she was able to get home. She pushed through the heavy door of the house. As expected, she was greeted by silence. It was a big house and there were only three of them in it. Coraline was used to the company of others in her old home. Even if the others didn't come to visit, she always had Wybie.

_Wybie._

She wondered how he was now. That's when she realized she haven't really used her phone. Once she got into her room, she took out her phone. Even though she haven't charged it, it still had some battery left. _Hooray for power saving_. She saw that there were two messages. Opening them, she smiled when she saw they were both from Wybie. Both message contained two words and they were,_ 'Hey Jonesy'_

She chuckled as she typed up a reply, '_Wyborn_.'

With a satisfied grin, she casually tossed her phone to the side. She found herself then laying on her bed, staring blankly to the ceiling. She wondered what to do next. Now that she had found Norman, what do they do? How could they help her? Panick strikes in as she realized that there was still so much more that they don't know. She was just so carried away that she had found who the ghosts and Aggie were talking about that she forgot the real problem.

She clenched her fists._ Keep calm keep calm keep calm keep calm._

"CORALINE!"

_Great._

She sat up from her bed, "What?!"

"Dinner!"

"I'm done eating!"

She layed back down and covered her face with her pillow. _Wait-_

An idea struck her. But she would have to be quick. Rapidly, she threw herself out of bed and rushed downstairs. She could hear her parents in the dining room, discussing some business matters. Her heart beats rapidly as she made her way to her parent's bedroom. The door opened slowly with a creak revealing a tidy room. Her parents were always strict with neatness. Their bags were neatly piled up on a corner of the room and their bed neatly made.

_Be quick. Find it and leave._

There was something her mother was hiding. _Something_. She doesn't know what it is but went to search by the pile of bags. She opened each and every one, searching for something that might look suspicious but all she found were clothing and books about gardening. She tried her best to pile them up again neatly then looked under the bed. None except for a pair of slippers.

_Tic tick tick._

Time was running.

Beads of sweat trickled down her face as she opened the closet. She coughed as she was greeted by dust and cobwebs. Closing the closet irately, she scanned the room for other signs. She caught sight of a familiar red curtain. A sense of _déjà vu_ hit her. She seeing this curtain in her vision. She racked her brain for the next thing that happened. _She was in a dusty place, suffocating._

_The closet_.

She quickly opened the closet and went in. She brushed away cobwebs and covered her nose to prevent her from sneezing. _It must be here somewhere. _She inspected the walls if there were any hidden doors. _Not much time_. She inspected the bottom, putting away the old and moth-eaten shirts. Suddenly, she tapped on a rougher surface. She searched it's sides until she finally found a space where she could lift the rough surface like a lid.

She was sweating. She can finally feel the lack of air and the dust going into her nose. She reached into newfound hole, which seemed bottomless. She was indeed suffocating but she still reached until her hands found something solid. It was heavy but with all her power, she pulled it up. She pushed herself out of the closet. She fell face-first on the floor.

She dusted off her shirt, then her hair._ I've been through too much pain today. Too much._

She looked at the thing she just pulled out. It was a small chest. It was only a bit smaller than her parent's laptop. She inspected it from side to side. When she looked at the bottom, thats where she saw a piece of paper taped below and her name sprawled on it in messy writing. There was a smudge of dried red ink on the side in which Coraline dismissed the thought as blood.

She heard footsteps.

_Oh gosh_. Coraline shoved the clothing that had fell out of the closet and closed it shut. She took the small chest in her arms and sprinted out of her parent's room. She froze in her tracks as she heard the footsteps grow louder. She caught the sight of her parent's shadows. Her heart thumped loudly in her chest.

"Wait, I still need to get something from the study. I need your help." came her mother's voice then she heard her father say a quick 'sure'.

The shadows dispersed. Coraline breathed out a sigh of relief. Once she heard the study's door shut, she ran upstairs back to her bedroom.

She quickly shut the door to her room. She slid down to the floor, panting and sweaty. She stared at the prize right before her. She breathed out happily before laughing a little. However, her laughing was cut when she heard the telephone ringing.

The telephone ringing.

She thought it was an old house. Why would someone be calling?

The rings echo through the silent house. She heard her mother shout from below, "Is that the phone ringing?"

Panicked, she rushed out the room - made sure that the chest was safely under her bed first - and answered the phone. She remembered a horror movie she and Wybie had watched back at her home. It was about a mysterious phone call and if someone answered it, that person would die in seven days or something like that. The movie came flooding back to Coraline, which wasn't helping the tension.

She was relieved when a familiar voice spoke up:

_"Hello? Is this the Jones?"_

"Norman Babcock?" Coraline whispered back harshly.

_"Oh hey. Coraline?"_

"Don't you _'oh hey'_ me. You almost caused me a heart attack!"

_"Um.. I'm sorry? Wait- why are you whispering?"_

Coraline sighed. "Look, I can't talk right now. I just.. found something. The thing I think my mother was hiding from me. She doesn't know I have it. I'm going to show it to you tomorrow."

_"I need to tell you something, too. There's something.. I just recently found out I could do. Look, I don't know if this is relevant to the whole situation but I just think I should show you."_

"Just meet me tomorrow. Aggie's tree. Eleven o'clock."

Below she heard her mother shout, "Coraline? Who's that?"

_"Okay. I will. Just.. don't freak out."_

"I'm used to it. I gotta hang up now. Oh, and don't call on this number." with a click, the phone call ended.

"Coraline?" her mother ascended the stairs, "Who was calling?"

"It was a friend, mom. I met some kids at the town this morning. Th-They said they would call me."

There was a look of disbelief on her face. Mel wasn't used to her daughter meeting new friends. So far, it had only been Wybie and her friends from Michigan. Still, Mel wouldn't believe her easily.

"Are they boys?" asked her father monotonously, still in the confused daze he was ever since they set foot in the house, "no boys allowed."

Before Coraline could reply, her mother cut her off, "We should meet them sometimes. I don't want you to have friends that we don't approve of. _Unless_ they're all a make-up excuse."

Giving Coraline one last evil eye, she and Charlie head back downstairs. Coraline stomped back in her room, aggravated by her mother. She was glad that the room had it's own bathroom. She took a steaming hot bath to ease all her sores for the day. She changed into the most comfortable clothes she had and then lay in bed for the next five minutes.

Her thoughts lingered from the death of April Spink to her newfound partnership with a ghost-seeing boy she barely knew. She thought about the small chest that is under her bed right now. Maybe she could finally inspect it and try to open it. Hopefully, it's not locked or anything.

Coraline wasn't like her parents that would never procrastinate. So, she chose to close her eyes and fell asleep instead. She was just so tired that even her sore body cannot keep her awake.

_It can all wait until tomorrow._

* * *

**[Author'****s Note:] **_Effing 7k words. Holy shoots. I'm sorry if this is too long..I know it would just bore you. __I'm also sorry for the /kinda/ late update! Let's just say me and my laptop had a little 'argument' and it refused to work for a few days. I'm not even joking._

_Also, take note that they're fiteen-sixteen-ish here. I know, it's kinda awkward. Even I have a hard time imagining it sometimes. And I'm so mean to Mel :( I'm sorry if I made her act so mean (I could've used another word but considering the fact that there might be kids reading this..) but it's only because of her 'secret', right? ;D_

_Oh, and I know this chapter is confusing. I don't like confusing my readers.. so I'm just going to give some spoiler-ish hints: *GASP* Did Coraline just see the future?_

_Another shoutout to my friend, **Kiwi Werewolf**! She had helped me a lot with the motivation for this chapter! "BEAT THE BLOCK! BEAT THE BLOCK!" __OH, and congratulations **Pinki Diane and Surprise Pie**! *showers you with cookies_*

_Seriously, guys. Your reviews are awesome! Thank you so much! They mean so much more than just words on my computer screen! :D_

_Oh yeah, I also don't think I have proofread this chapter enough... IT CAN ALL WAIT UNTIL TOMORROW. *runs off and gets some sleep* **(EDIT4/6/13: Done. Fixed some stuff. Haha XD)**_

**_-IriMono_**


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